Frequently asked questions

FAQ: GETTING STARTED

Q: I’VE NEVER BOUGHT GLASSES ONLINE BEFORE HOW DO I START?

A: First you need a current copy of your optical prescription. Then you need to pick out a frame.

Q: I WOULDN’T BUY MEDICATION ONLINE INSTEAD OF GOING TO THE DR OR PHARMACY, HOW DO I KNOW YOUR GLASSES ARE SAFE AND WON’T DAMAGE MY EYES?

A: The only reason our product is cheaper is because we don’t have the overheads of running a shop or employing an optometrist to perform eye tests. All our frames come from the same suppliers used by high street opticians use and have the CE quality mark. Our lenses are made and fitted in a lab which is used by optician’s stores as well as us, using exactly the same lenses as they do. All incoming orders are checked for any obvious prescription discrepancies and the finished product is checked for quality before it is sent to you.

Q: I DON’T HAVE A COPY OF MY PRESCRIPTION, HOW DO I GET ONE?

A: If you have had your eyes tested in the last 2 years, or in the last year if you are over 70, you need to contact the optician’s where you had the eye test. They are obliged by law to provide you with a copy. If your eye test was longer than 2 years ago or a year ago if you are over 70 then you will need to book in for a new test. It is against the law for anyone to make glasses from a prescription that has expired. You are not obliged to buy glasses from the store you had your test in. They do however have to provide you with a copy of the prescription.

Q: HOW IS IT POSSIBLE FOR YOU TO CHARGE SO LITTLE?

A: With no shop or expensive testing equipment, our costs are much less than a high street opticians. So we gladly pass the savings on to you!

Q: WHY DON’T YOU SELL CHILDRENS GLASSES?

A: It is against the law for us to provide lenses for anyone under 16 via an online/mail-order service. Under the Opticians Act 1989. Under 16s have to have their glasses dispensed and fitted by an optician or dispensing optician in person.

Q: DO YOU TAKE NHS VOUCHERS?

A: As we are an online company we are currently unable to accept NHS vouchers.

Q: WHY DO YOU WANT MY PHONE NUMBER?

A: Our optical team may wish to call you if they notice a problem or have a query with the details you have entered on your order. We do not pass your phone number on to anyone else or use it to make sales calls to you.

FAQ: LENSES

Q: WHAT DO YOU MEAN WHEN YOU SAY THE LENSES INCLUDED IN THE PRICE ARE STANDARD SINGLE VISION ONES?

A: They are actually 1.5 CR39 lenses (You may have heard them called this at your optician’s store). These are straight forward standard optical lenses and as long as you don’t have a high prescription where you will benefit from having thinner lighter lenses they should be suitable for your prescription. Single vision means you just use your glasses for a single use e.g. ether reading or distance. However in some cases younger customers or those with an extremely low prescription may still use them for different uses eg computer and reading.

Q: WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BIFOCAL AND VARIFOCAL LENSES?

A:Bifocals have a defined reading portion of the lenses, this is ether defined by a line across the lenses or a D shaped area on the lower part of the lenses. Varifocals offer you the ability to see comfortably at all distances, without having to switch pairs of glasses. The top of the lenses is your distance vision; the middle is the middle ground which especially useful for those who regularly use a desk based computer. The base is for reading. Varifocals have no lines on the lenses as the prescription gradually changes across the lenses.

A:These lenses are reliant on the positioning of the lenses within the frame; because of this we need to post the frame to customers to allow them to mark the position of their pupil on the lenses prior to making and fitting them. The additional postage charges incurred by posting the frame around the globe nullifies any price benefit that may be gained by buying glasses online. Also the time it takes to mail the frames delays the time it takes for you as a customer to receive the completed order. Basically we think that with the time it takes and the extra costs it is unfair on the customer to offer them.

Q: YOU HAVE DIFFERENT TYPES OF VARIFOCAL LENSES WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE?

A:The SpecsPost Varifocals are good quality varifocal lenses, the standard is on par with the mid-range medium priced lenses you would buy in a high street opticians. The Premium varifocal is an excellent lens with a very low level of distortion in the field of your vision. This is reflected in the cost, however we have been told by customers that once they have had these lenses they have found it very difficult to revert back to lower priced lenses as the quality is so good.

Q: DO YOU SELL HIGH INDEX (THIN) LENSES?

A: Yes, within our different lenses packages we offer 4 different grades of thinner lenses. Some higher prescriptions are outside the range for certain lenses so sometimes choice will be due to requirement. In other cases it is personal choice for cosmetic reasons. If you need help selecting the best lenses package for you please get in touch with our customer service team. Our contact details are in the Contact Us section of the website. Our optical team will be happy to check over your prescription and advise the best lenses options for you. Our optical experts are not sales people and usually suggest several options that are suitable for your prescription. They offer help and tell it like it is, for example: ‘these lenses may be a little thick still but will look ok and are friendly on your bank balance. These lenses are the thinnest option so if you want to treat yourself they would be fab’. They will also tell you if they don’t think you really need the super thin lenses you were advised to buy elsewhere.

Q: I DON’T NEED GLASSES BUT WANT A PAIR FOR FASHION USE CAN I ORDER A PAIR WITH BLANK LENSES?

A: Yes just select the options for non-prescription lenses and you will receive a pair of glasses with clear lenses

Q: DO YOU DO ANTI SCRATCH COATING?

A: All SpecsPost lenses have an anti-scratch coating as standard. It offers good protection against everyday wear and tear. However if you scrape your glasses across a pile of gravel or leave them to rattle around in the bottom of your handbag unprotected they will still get scratched!

Q: DO YOU SELL ANTI GLARE COATING?

A: Yes anti-glare or anti-reflection coating, as it’s sometimes called, is available as part of most of our lenses packages. It is also becoming a more regular occurrence for people to order glasses with blank non-prescription lenses but with anti-glare coating, following the advice of their GP to help with headaches or eye strain when using gadgets such as E readers, tablets and smart phones.

Q WHY WOULD I NEED ANTI GLARE COATING?

A: If you wear your glasses for driving, anti-glare coating cuts down the light’s glare reflecting between the car windscreen and your glasses. However, it does not shade your eyes from the sun as sunglasses do. It also helps with any reflections caused by your glasses from the glare of your computer, smart phone, tablet therefore reducing the problems caused by you squinting. Finally, as an added bonus, it cuts down the chances of a camera flash bouncing of your lenses and spoiling any photographs you are in.

Q: ARE YOUR LENSES PLASTIC OR GLASS?

A: We only supply plastic lenses as they are lighter and more durable. Most lenses supplied on the high street these days are plastic too.

Q: I HAVE VARIFOCAL/BIFOCAL/ THINNER LENSES IN MY GLASSES CAN YOU MAKE ME PRESCRIPTION SUNGLASSES WITH THE SAME LENSES?

A: Yes we can put whatever lenses combination you have for your glasses into prescription sunglasses. Or you can order any of the glasses on the website with a tint to make them into permanent sunglasses. See our section about tints for more information.

FAQ: POSTAGE & PAYMENT

Q: WHEN WILL MY GLASSES GET TO ME?

A: We aim to dispatch all orders within 10 working days of the day you order. In most cases it will be sooner. If you have a complex prescription and also order extras (E.g. thinner lenses with transitions and anti-glare coating) it may take longer. This is the time it takes for your prescription lenses to be made and fitted into your chosen frame. When we ship your order you will receive an email to let you know it is on the way. Items posted within the UK are mailed using Royal Mail 2nd Class Signed For and in most cases will arrive in 2 – 3 working days of been dispatched. Please note that weekends, Bank Holidays and postage volumes in the run up to Christmas may impact the speed of delivery. If you are within mainland Europe postage can take up to 3 weeks from the date of dispatch. Worldwide delivery times can take up to 6 weeks depending on the location, although in most cases it is sooner. On rare occasions our parcels get delayed longer by the customs process. This is unfortunately beyond our control. We post items to destinations outside the UK using a tracked service so in most cases we can update you on the status of your parcel. This is however dependent on information being updated by the postal service in the country of delivery.

Q: HOW MUCH DO I PAY FOR DELIVERY?

A: UK Standard Delivery costs just £3.99, European Shipping costs £7.85 and International Shipping costs £12.00 The delivery charge is only applied once per order, so you only pay for shipping once, no matter how many pairs you order. Prices stated are in pounds sterling and will be applied at the checkout. #

Q: CAN I PAY WITH NHS VOUCHERS?

Please note that as an online retailer we are currently unable to take NHS Vouchers.

Q: IS YOUR SITE SECURE FOR PAYMENT?

A: Yes, we want you to be safe shopping with us. Security Metrics help us keep your payment safe and secure. They do this through regular scans to check our security.

FAQ: PRESCRIPTION

Q: I’M HAVING TROUBLE UNDERSTANDING MY PRESCRIPTION CAN YOU HELP?

A: The answer to this depends on the reason why you can’t understand it! If it’s because your optician’s hand writing looks like a spider crawled across the page, then the chances are we won’t be able to read it either. Your optician is duty bound to provide you with a legible copy of your prescription. So if you can’t read it take it back and ask for a clearer copy.

If you can decipher all the measurements, but they may as well be written in another language do not worry. Pop it over to us in an email and our optical team will take a look. The simplest way to do this is to take a photograph of the copy the optician gave you and email us that. This way our lab gets to see it exactly as the optician prescribed. If you have a prescription for both reading and distance glasses remember to advise us which prescription the glasses you have ordered / will be ordering are to be used for.

Finally if the problem is that your prescription really is in another language that’s no problem, email it over. We have quite a few customers from ex-pat communities across the globe whose prescription is in a different language. On most occasions we can usually translate the details.

Tip – If your prescription has a dash, or an infinity symbol (Sideways 8) or the word plano where you would expect a value to appear, this is opticians speak for zero or no value. They like to keep us on our toes using 101 different ways to describe it instead of just putting 0.

Q: I’M NOT SURE WHAT LENSES I NEED TO ORDER FOR MY PRESCRIPTION?

A: If you are unsure about what your prescription is for, or you don’t know if you really do need thinner lenses please get in touch. Email us a copy of your prescription, the simplest way to do this is to take a photograph of the copy the optician gave you and email us that. We like to tell it how it is, so let us know what you use your glasses for and we will advise you of some lens options. Our customer services team will advise you of different options taking into account, cost, and cosmetic look and advise if you would benefit from any extras such as anti-glare coating.

Q: I’M ENTERING MY PRESCRIPTION ON YOUR WEBSITE BUT DON’T HAVE VALUES FOR ALL THE FIELDS?

A: Everybody’s eyes are different so need correcting in different ways; you won’t necessarily have a measurement to go in every box. Just pop a zero in the boxes you have no measurement for so we know you haven’t left it blank in error. Our customer service team checks all the orders and if anything looks amiss with your prescription they will email you to double check.

Q: CAN I USE MY CONTACT LENS PRESCRIPTION FOR ORDERING GLASSES?

A: No, your contact lenses prescription is different to your glasses one. You will need a prescription for glasses lenses to order glasses.

Q: I CAN’T FIND MY PUPILLARY DISTANCE MEASUREMENT ON MY PRESCRIPTION; IN FACT, I’M NOT SURE WHAT THIS IS

A: Your Pupillary Distance measurement is the distance between your pupils. Your lenses should be made so that the centre of your pupils is in line with the centre of the lenses. Unfortunately this is the one measurement the optician doesn’t have to give out. You can however measure this yourself. (link to guide). Unless you have a really high prescription we can make your glasses using the average measurement. This is 63 mm or if you are ordering petite glasses we use an average measurement of 59mm. If you have a high prescription we will contact you for this measurement if you have not provided one.

Q: I’M CONCERNED THAT I MAY HAVE MADE A MISTAKE WHEN ENTERING MY PRESCRIPTION

A: Don’t worry; our customer service team check every order for obvious mistakes. We will contact you if we think a mistake has been made. Your prescription details are displayed in your order conformation email. Please take time to double check them. If you notice any incorrect details please contact us as soon as possible to amend your order. We are unable to offer refunds for lenses that have been made to the wrong prescription if the wrong information was given to us by you. Please note we are not in the office in the evening or at weekends so do not be alarmed if we do not respond until the next working day.

Q: I HAVE A REALLY COMPLEX PRESCRIPTION AND WANT MY OPTICIAN TO MAKE MY LENSES. CAN I JUST BUY THE FRAMES FROM YOU?

A: Yes, all our frames can be ordered with blank, non-prescription lenses, just choose this option when you order.

Q: I JUST WANT READING GLASSES AND I DON’T HAVE A PRESCRIPTION?

A: We would always recommend that if you feel you are having problems with your eyesight you visit an optometrist for a test. Your eye health is not just about sight, and symptoms of certain health conditions can be picked up during an eye examination.

However if you need to purchase a pair of ready reader style glasses as a quick fix or have been advised by your optician that a pair of these is suitable for your needs we can provide them. You need to be able to tell us what power of lenses you need (eg +2.25) then when you place your order select the standard lenses option and either advise us in the customer notes box of your requirement or email us the information quoting your order number. As the frames we use are optical frames and the lenses you request will be bespoke to your requirements we will be unable to offer a refund if they are not suitable for you.

Q: WHY WON’T YOU TAKE MY PRESCRIPTION DETAILS OVER THE PHONE?

A: There are plenty of other ways you can provide your prescription details. You can email them, enter them into the order when you place it or even send them in the post. There is too great a margin of error when taking them over the phone, they may be written down wrong or misheard, or you could make an error with interpreting your prescription. We want your glasses to be fit for use and this rule prevents any silly errors.

Q: I’VE LOST MY PRESCRIPTION DETAILS BUT I’VE ORDERED FROM YOU BEFORE. DO YOU STILL HAVE IT ON RECORD?

A: In most cases we will still have your prescription details on file. Just put a note on the order that you want us to use the prescription from a previous order. If you know your past order number or roughly when you ordered note that down as well. It will help us find your information quickly. If you have ordered both reading and distance glasses from us in the past please confirm which prescription you want us to use. Also ladies, if you have recently got married and previously ordered in your maiden name mention that too. We have had several occasions where after much head scratching we have eventually realised an order was placed in another name. Please note we can only make glasses from prescriptions that are less than 2 years old, if it is longer than this since your eye test you will need to visit your optician for a new one.

A: Our standard lens stock range consists of lenses with powers of less than + or – 6.00 dioptres Sphere (Sph) or +/- 2.00 dioptres Cylinder (Cyl.) We do have higher powered lenses available so please contact us for a quote. Additionally if you are ordering a thinner lenses option we prefer that you contact us before you order so we can talk about your options. Email us over a copy of your prescription and our optical team will advise you of your options. Remember to let us know what your requirements are and if you want any extras such as anti-glare coating. If you let us know which frame you are looking at we can provide you with quotes for the complete pair of glasses. In some cases depending on your requirements it is advisable that you purchase your lenses from a opticians store as higher prescriptions sometimes need the glasses to be fitted in person by a Dispensing Optician.

FAQ; TINTS, TRANSITIONS & AND SUNGLASSES LENSES

Q: WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SUN TINTS, GRADUATED TINTS AND TRANSITIONS /LIGHT REACTIVE LENSES? I DON’T UNDERSTAND?

A: Transitions/light reactive lenses react to sunlight so they appear as normal clear glasses lenses indoors, or outdoors when it is dark, i.e. when there is no sunlight. However in sunlight (UV Light) they gradually become tinted eventually appearing like sunglasses in strong sunlight. Then when you go back indoors they will fade back to clear lenses again. Note that they are not always effective if the sunlight is indirect for example if you are in a car behind the windscreen. Tints are permanent, turning your glasses into sunglasses. Most of our tints are applied at a level of 85%. We recommended this as the darkest level if you intend to wear them whiles driving. Graduated tints are also permanent. The tint is darker at the top of the lenses and fades to lighter at the bottom.

Q: WILL MY EYES BE PROTECTED FROM UV RAYS?

A: All our sunglasses lenses / tinted lenses have full UVA and UVB protection to keep your eyes safe in the sun.

Q: I WANT A LIGHTER/DARKER TINT IS THAT POSSIBLE?

A: Most of our tints are applied at a level of 85%. This is the darkest level we recommend if you intend to wear them when driving. Some of our more colourful shades such as pink are tinted at a lower percentage as we have found a tint that dark is not practical. If you wish we can make your tint darker or lighter please advise us when you order. However please bear in mind that your perception of a light or dark tint may be different to ours.

Q: I WANT MY NEW LENSES TINTED THE SAME COLOUR AS MY OLD SUNGLASSES CAN THIS BE DONE?

A: Yes if you can provide us with lenses the same colour as what you want then we can ask the lab to colour match the tint. Just post us your old glasses or sunglasses and we will return them in the post with your order when we dispatch it

Q: CAN I SEE SOME EXAMPLES OF TINT LEVELS?

A: There is such a vast spectrum of tints and levels that we would never be able to keep on top of all the permutations; however we do sometime have a selection of lens colour samples in our office. We can’t guarantee we will have a light grey or a medium pink example but for a small refundable security deposit fee we can pop you a selection of examples in the post (UK only). If any shade takes your fancy we can ask our lab to colour match your lenses to this shade.

Q: WHAT COLOUR TINT WILL MY SUNGLASSES HAVE?

A: All our products branded as sunglasses come with the tint shade that is detailed in the photo on the website. If you wish to change it contact our customer services team and they will be happy to assist you. You can try out sunglasses as well as glasses in a home trial so you can always trial a few pairs to see what they look like before you buy

Q: WHY DOESN’T THE TINT ON MY SUNGLASSES LOOK LIKE THE ONE IN THE PICTURE?

A: Just like on a TV screen the colour of the computer monitor, tablet or phone screen you used to view our website is dependent on the screen resolution for the colour settings. On rare occasions this means the shade of the tint in reality may be slightly different. Likewise the lighting in the environment where our products are photographed may also result in a slight variation of colour. However if you ordered a pink tint and its blue then something is definitely amiss so do not hesitate to contact our customer services team.

Q: I’VE BEEN ADVISED TO HAVE SPECIALIST TINTED LENSES FOR MEDICAL REASONS BUT THEY ARE VERY EXPENSIVE. CAN I JUST HAVE ONE OF YOUR TINTS?

A: We are not specialists in colour imagery, our tints are intended for use as sun protection in the form of sunglasses lenses – they have full UVA and UVB protection. We cannot guarantee that our tints will be suitable for anything other than this.

Q: WHY ARE MY REACTIVE LENSES SLOW TO DARKEN?

A: Light reactive lenses are designed to change colour in natural daylight, this means that if you are obscured from the sun they may not change colour or go as dark as they would in direct sunlight. New transitions are slow to react to begin with, but the more they are used the quicker they react. If possible we advise that you may wish to leave them in sunlight when you are not wearing them to help speed up the process.

FAQ: RETURNS

Q: WHAT IF MY GLASSES/SUNGLASSES ARRIVE AND THEY DON'T FIT OR I DON'T LIKE THEM?

A: If you have ordered your item with non prescription, non coated glasses or sunglasses lenses then it can be returned. Postage charges will only be refunded if the item is returned due to it been faulty. Otherwise we will just refund the cost of the item.

We are unable to offer full refunds on items that have had lenses fitted into them which are bespoke to your needs, e.g prescription lenses or lenses with a coating. Due to the high cost involved in making these lenses. As prescription glasses are made to your individual needs they are exempt from refund under distance selling regulations

We offer a home trial service to allow you to try on frames before you commit to buying them. You can read more information about it here

Q: MY GLASSES DO NOT SIT STRAIGHT ON MY FACE WHEN I PUT THEM ON!

A: Due to the manufacturing process of acetate and plastic glasses, they may not always sit perfectly straight. As most faces are equally not perfectly symmetrical, this is not usually an issue. However, should you find that your glasses need altering slightly for the best fit, most high Street opticians will perform a final fitting service - which involves applying heat to the frame to alter the front or arms of the frame. Often the opticians where you had the eye test will do it for free, although some mat charge a modest fitting fee.

Unfortunatally as we are an online supplier we are unable to offer an alteration service on glasses.

Q:MY GLASSES HAVE ARRIVED DAMAGED, FAULTY, THEY ARE NOT WHAT I ORDERED, WHAT SHOULD I DO?

If your problem is with the lenses please read the question below before contacting us.

Q: MY GLASSES ARRIVED BUT I CANNOT SEE THROUGH THE LENSES!

A: Please check that the prescription details you provided with your order are correct and from your most recent eye test. Also check that you have requested your glasses to be made for the correct use when ordering. If you have given the wrong information in error please contact our customer service team.

Your glasses should have been made to the prescription details on your order, If the details provided are correct, post the glasses back to us at the address at the end of this section. Also include a paper copy of the prescription your optician gave you. We will get the lab to check and amend your lenses as necessary and return your glasses as soon as possible.

Q: I'VE HAD MY GLASSES A WHILE AND THEY JUST BROKE WHAT DO I DO?

A: Please check that the prescription details you provided with your order are correct and from your most recent eye test. Also check that you have requested your glasses to be made for the correct use when ordering. If you have given the wrong information in error please contact our customer service team.

A:We offer a 1 year free, wear and tear guarantee/ If we feel the damage is due to general wear and tear or a fault then we will fix or replace it. Contact our customer service team for advice.

Q: I HAVE BROKEN MY GLASSES CAN YOU HELP?

A:We offer a repair service so contact our customer service team for advice.

Q:WHY CAN'T YOU SEND ME A FREEPOST LABEL FOR MY RETURN?

A: SpecsPost is a small company and we do not currently have the volume of mail to be able to offer the labels. However if your item return is due to a fault of ours we will refund you the postage once you have confirmed you are happy with the resolution.

Q: HOW DO I MAKE A RETURN?

A: Post your item back to us at the address below. Please remember to include a note of your name in the package to avoid any delay when we receive the item back.